The Expansion of Roman Catholocism in Europe
The Roman Catholic Church With over 1.2 billion members around the world, Catholicism remains the largest and the oldest of all the Christian denominations. In fact, before the sixteenth century it was the only official form of Christianity, and every denomination today sprouted from that seed which began the world expansion of Christianity, and especially Catholicism. Since it's beginning, almost 2,000 years ago, Catholicism has had a huge impact on the world. It's had its dark times, its light times, its times of war, its times of peace, its times of corruption and its times of wholesomeness. In addition, Catholicism can easily be traced all throughout history thanks to the many texts recorded, saved and passed down century after century. There are many important events throughout the history of Catholicism that have shaped it onto the denomination it is today. These events include the origin, the Great Persecution, the conversion of Constantine, the expansion throughout the Roman Empire, the struggle through the Dark Ages, the Reformation, and the Counter-Reformation. However, even throughout all its turmoil and splits, the Catholic Church still remains strong in its roots and one of the most celebrated and popular churches in the world. Origin According to the Catholic doctrine, Catholicism was founded by Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and included all of his early followers. However most of these followers were considered Jewish and there were not very many of them, but leading up to the year 100, with the continued expansion, Christianity became a distinct faith separate from Judaism. Also for the first few centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus, with the Roman Empire still thriving, Paganism was the only religion recognized by the Roman officials, and Christianity was persecuted on a more local level. Then, around the year 250, under Emperors Decius and Valerian actual laws were passed making Christianity illegal. Unfortunately, Christians were forced to either pay sacrifices to the Roman Gods or face imprisonment and often times execution. These laws are what started the Great Persecution, which lasted from around the year 303 to the year 313. In the year 303, Emperors Diocletian and Maximian ordered a general persecution of the Christians, including the destruction of all churches. In fact, it is estimated that about 1,500 Christians were killed within just eight years. It isn’t until the year 311 that Emperor Galerius begins to relax the ban on Christianity. 'Constantine' Finally in the year 313 Emperor Constantine ends the persecution of the Christians with the Edict of Milano, which granted religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire and ordered the restitution of all property confiscated from Christians. It was at this time that Constantine converted to Christianity, making him the first ever Christian Roman Emperor. Following this new practice, Constantine did not force his Pagan subjects to convert as well, but encouraged a kind of compromise between the two or the “Christianization” of Pagan beliefs. Pagan beliefs were given new Christian identities, such as taking the Isis, the mother-goddess of Paganism, and absorbing it into Christianity by replacing Isis with Mary. Mary was given an exalted role in the Christian faith and in fact many temples dedicated to Isis were converted into temples dedicated to Mary. These compromises made the Christian religion more acceptable to the people of Rome. Christianity then continued to grow as an accepted but not official religion up until the year 380 when Emperor Theodosius I proclaimed Christianity as the sole religion. Also, during the time Constantine, he ordered the construction of the Old Saint Peter’s Basilica which stood from the 4th century up until the 16th century and which stood in the same spot that the current Saint Peter’s Basilica stands today in Vatican City. 'The Rise of Rome' Then as the Roman Empire grew, so did Christianity and the continued building of churches and cathedrals. The Catholic Church also gained more structure and was no longer held together by small communities and the patriarchs of the five leading cities (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem) were formed. Then in the 400s AD the bishop of Rome began claiming authority over the other bishops and was referred to as Pope. The pope was recognized as the leader in the Latin-speaking Western Roman Empire, but not by the Greek-speaking Eastern Roman Empire. The West became what is now referred to as the Roman Catholic Church and the East became what is now the Eastern Orthodox Church. 'The Fall of Rome' Then in about 476 AD the Roman Empire fell, plunging the western world into the Dark Ages in politics, economics and religion. After Western Empire fell to the Barbarians, the whole Catholic culture moved to the East. On the other hand, although there was no Emperor left in the west, the Roman Bishop stayed and was respected by the Barbarians who were professing Christians. The Roman Bishop continued to grow in authority and eventually took the place of the Emperor becoming a political leader as well as a spiritual leader. In addition, the church was then left to educate and Christianize the Barbarian tribes and in this time of turmoil, Monasticism grew more and more popular. There was very little spiritual strength in the Middle Ages, but what little there was became preserved by the monks, who helped by preserving some of the learning lost after the fall of Rome. 'The Crusades' Later in the Middle Ages is also were the Great Crusades took place. These were a series of wars between 1095 and 1291. The first Crusade was called by Pope Urban II, which claimed the goal of restoring Christianity to the Holy Lands including Jerusalem. At the start, the first Crusade seemed to be going well, until Muslims began to unite under leader Zengi and began to retake territory from the Christians. It was these defeats that called for the second Crusade. Then, more fighting took place and territories went back and forth between Christian and Muslim rule. Again, during the third Crusade, Saladin united the Muslims and retook Jerusalem. Then by 1202 the fourth Crusade was initiated by Pope Innocent III and turned out to be a disaster. The fifth crusades took place in 1219 attacking Egypt and briefly taking control of the port of Damietta, which was taken by the Arabs two years later. Then, the sixth crusades and seventh crusades were led by King Louis IX of France and again had little result. By 1270 the crusade attempts finally came to a halt. Also during the Middle Ages, some very important cathedrals were constructed such as the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi and the Duomo. The Renaissance Then by the mid-1300s, the Renaissance began bringing about a new light for the western civilizations. They grew culturally, scholarly and politically. Likewise, many important texts were rediscovered, including many important Catholic ones which were saved by the monks. Additionally, the Holy Roman Empire, which proclaimed itself as a continuation of the Western Roman Empire, continued to grow. Also, because the knowledge for architecture had returned, great Cathedrals were constructed or reconstructed during this time, including the Santa Maria Novella, The San Lorenzo and the construction of Brunelleschi's dome on top of the Duomo. Then the construction of the current Saint Peters began. The Reformation The Reformation began in the 16th century during the Renaissance. The Reformation began with a German monk posting his complaints on the doors of a church. The monk was Martin Luther and he was posting his ninety-five theses on the power and efficacy of indulgences. Luther's complaints against the church were about the misuse of power many were displaying, especially when it came to indulgences and simony. The Ninety-Five Theses was the first time that the Catholic church was really questioned or stood up against. Luther was later excommunicated from the Church and began his own denomination, Lutheranism. Luther began a spiral of breaking away from the church. John Calvin started writing reformation doctrine after Luther was excommunicated, and started Calvinism in Switzerland. Then, Henry VIII broke away and started the Church of England. He did not do this for religious purposes, but the break still helped break down the Catholic Church. After these groups broke away the Catholics started a Counter-Reformation to try and keep the rest of the church intact. THe Counter-Reformation Finally after the Reformation, the Catholic Church changed greatly with an effort to focus on four major elements: Ecclesiastical or structural reconfiguration, Religious orders, Spiritual movements and Political dimensions. Also Fundamental truths of the Catholic faith were reaffirmed at the Council of Trent in 1545. This council aimed to the superiority of the Holy Catholic Church and its moral high ground. As a result, there was more of a focus on charity and the glory of God, more toleration of alternative ways of thinking, more focus on teaching and education of the priests, an increase in mission projects, and the birth of Baroque art and architecture to emphasize the glory and awe of God. These continued to help the Catholic Church to grow and expand worldwide, and it is these changes that built the Catholic Church into to the present-day version. Category:Research Pages Category:Rome